Erin Nauert

What makes Erin Xtraordinary to you?

My daughter Erin has spent her 30s trying to have children. She miscarried twice before she had her son, Kyle. It was obvious within a few months that he was different from typically developing children. When Kyle was two-and-a-half years old he was tested and the FXS diagnosis was confirmed. Since then she has been active with other FX parents, doing fundraisers, organizing walks, going to seminars, keeping in touch with Dr. Erickson in Cincinnati … but mostly advocating for Kyle, who just turned 12.She has gone to school for his first few years of public school and explained to the children why Kyle is different. She also gave lectures to Case Western Reserves interns and residents. When Kyle was four, she and her husband decided they wanted another child. Between the hormones, the doctor visits, and IVF, she still failed to carry to a full term. She miscarried or didn’t get pregnant 10 times over the next nine years. Finally, they decided to use a surrogate and on the second attempt the surrogate got pregnant and carried full term. Of course, all the testing they had to do to find a non-FX fetus. So now she is at home with 12-year-old Kyle and three-year-old Jack, both of whom need full time watching. I am in awe of my daughter. Despite her years of disappointment, she is happy, loving, and doesn’t complain. She worked with Dr. Erickson a long time to get a good mix of medicines to help Kyle with anxiety, anger, and frustration. Most days he is OK but when he is not, it is hard on everyone. He hits or throws things and has even gone after his little brother. My son-in-law was working in Canada the first year of Jack’s life, which made it even harder to keep track of both boys. She has hired help but lives with the knowledge that Kyle will always need help to navigate life. My daughter is a trooper who is XTRAORDINARY!